Mimi Márquez
Mimi Márquez is the lead female in RENT. She is an exotic dancer at a club called the Cat Scratch, is HIV positive, and an drug addict. She lives downstairs from Mark and Roger, and is Roger's love interest through out the musical. She is also Benny's ex-lover. The youngest of the characters, Mimi is 19, which makes her birth date around 1970. Biography Act I Mimi is first introduced as Roger and Marks neighbor, who knocks on the door asking Roger to light a candle for her, only to continually blow it out as she flirts with him ("Light My Candle"). Though he feels attracted to her, Roger is reluctant to begin a new relationship. Later, Mimi attempts to seduce Roger ("Out Tonight") but Roger harshly rebuffs her ("Another Day"). While out of the apartment Roger intercepts Mimi and apologizes for his behavior. He invites her to come to the protest and dinner with them, to which she agrees. Meanwhile, cops, vendors, and the people from the streets gather to watch the protest ("Christmas Bells"). At the Life Cafe after the show, Benny criticizes the protest and the group's Bohemian lifestyle. Mark and all the bohemians in the café rise up and celebrate the Bohemian lifestyle ("La Vie Boheme A"). Benny tries to plant doubts in Mimi's mind about Roger. Mimi confronts Roger about ignoring her during dinner. Then, as Mimi's beeper goes off (reminding her to take her AZT) she and Roger each discover that the other is HIV-positive and decide to move forward with their relationship ("I Should Tell You"). As the first act closes, Mark reveals that amidst the riot, Roger and Mimi share their first kiss ("La Vie Boheme B"). Act II Opening with "Seasons of Love" the second act takes place over the course of the year following the first act ("Seasons of Love"). Having been locked out of their apartment by Benny; Mark, Roger, Mimi, and the Bohemians gather to break-in ("Happy New Year A"). The others finally break through the door just as Benny arrives. He says he's there to call a truce. He reveals that Mimi, a former girlfriend of his, convinced him to change his mind by making sexual advances on him. Mimi denies seducing Benny, but the revelation that they had once been together upsets Roger. Roger and Mimi both apologize, but Mimi remains upset, and turns to the drug dealer for a fix ("Happy New Year B"). The company sings a reprise of "Seasons of Love", as time passes and seasons change ("Seasons of Love B"). By spring, Roger and Mimi's relationship has become strained. Roger keeps talking about moving out of town. Mimi comes home late again, causing Roger to believe that she is cheating on him with Benny. Roger jealously storms out, Mimi stops him and tries to tell him the truth, that she is not cheating and that she is still using drugs, but can't get the words out, and Roger leaves. Alone in the apartment, Mimi sings of her love for Roger, and elsewhere, Roger sings of his love for Mimi ("Without You"). Eventually, Roger and Mimi reconcile. A dance is performed representing the couples' sex-lives ("Contact"). At the climax of the number, Joanne, Maureen, Roger and Mimi break up again. At the same time, Angel passes away. At the funeral, the friends briefly come together to share their memories of Angel, with Collins being the last to speak ("I'll Cover You Reprise"). Roger reveals that he is leaving New York for Santa Fe, which sparks an argument about commitment between him and Mimi. Collins arrives and admonishes the group for fighting on the day of Angel's funeral. Mimi tries to go to Roger, but he turns away. After everyone leaves, Mark confronts Roger about his behavior towards Mimi. As the two friends fight, Mark reveals that Roger's feelings aren't jealousy towards Benny, but fear of losing Mimi to AIDS. As Roger leaves, he runs into Mimi, who tells him that she heard everything and just wanted to say goodbye to Roger ("Goodbye Love"). Benny and Mark take Mimi to a rehab center. Feeling alone and conflicted, Roger reflect on his lives and on the past year with their friends and reach an artistic epiphany as he finds his song in Mimi. Roger returns to New York just in time for Christmas. ("What You Own"). Worried about their children not answering their calls, the cast's parents leave several messages on their phones ("Voicemail #5"). On Christmas Eve, exactly one year after the start of the first act Roger has written his song but can't find Mimi anywhere. It is revealed that Benny's wife, finding out about Benny's relationship with Mimi, has pulled Benny out of the East Village. Maureen and Joanne abruptly enter carrying Mimi, who is very weak and close to death. She begins to fade, but not before telling Roger that she loves him ("Finale A"). Roger tells her to hold on as he plays her the song he wrote for her, which reveals the depths of his feelings for her ("Your Eyes"). Mimi appears to die, but suddenly awakens. She says that she was heading into a light, but Angel told her to go back. The surviving Bohemians gather together to rejoice and resolve to enjoy whatever time they have left with each other and reaffirm that there is "no day but today" ("Finale B"). Trivia *Mimi left home when she was fifteen. *Was based of the character Mimi, of La Bohème, who was a seamstress suffering from tuberculosis. Gallery Rosario-Dawson-RENT.jpg IShouldTellYou.jpg OutTonight.jpg LightMyCandle.jpg Mimi.jpg Rent-FinalPerformance-Mimi-ReneeEliseGoldberry.jpg Rent-Mimi-Rosario.png RubinvegaRENT.jpg Category:Main Characters Category:Characters Category:HIV+ Characters